An assessment of human performance in stabbing

Horsfall, I.; Prosser, P. D.; Watson, C. H.; Champion, S. M.

Affiliations

¹Cranfield University, RMCS Shrivenham, Swindon, Wilts SN6 8LA, UK

Abstract and keywords

Stab-resistant body armour is now becoming a standard item of equipment for police officers in the United Kingdom. In the UK these are usually required to have a stab resistance as specified by the Police Scientific Development Branch KR42 standard [G. Parker, PSDB Stab Resistant Body Armour Test Procedure, Police Scientific Development Branch, Publication No 10/93, 1993]. There are several other test standards, all of which specify that body armour must resist penetration by a specific blade type delivered at a specific energy level or range of levels. However, the actual range of energy levels specified varies over almost an order of magnitude and the basis for these levels is not clearly defined. This paper describes tests to determine the energy range and characteristics of stabbing actions that might be directed against stab resistant body armour by an assailant. The energy and velocity that can be achieved in stabbing actions has been determined for a number of sample populations. Volunteers were asked to stab a target using an instrumented knife that measured the axial force and acceleration during the stabbing. The maximum energy obtained in underarm stabbing actions was 64 J whilst overarm stabbing actions could produce 115 J. The loads produced on contact with the target often approached 1000 N.

Keywords: Stabbing; Body armour; Impact; Knife

Links

DOI: 10.1016/S0379-0738(99)00055-9

PubMed: 10464927

WoS: 000081819100001

History

Received: 1997-08-26

Revised: 1999-03-10

Accepted: 1999-03-11

Cited Works (4)

Year	Entry
1978	Green MA. Stab wound dynamics: a recording technique for use in medico-legal investigations. J Forensic Sci Soc. July 1978;18(3-4):161-163.
1996	Miller SA, Jones MD. Kinematics of four methods of stabbing: a preliminary study. Forensic Sci Int. September 30, 1996;82(2):183-190.
1994	Jones S, Nokes L, Leadbeatter S. The mechanics of stab wounding. Forensic Sci Int. June 28, 1994;67(1):59-63.
1975	Knight B. The dynamics of stab wounds. Forensic Sci. November–December 1975;6(3):249-255.

Cited By (18)

Year	Entry
2003	Bleetman A, Watson CH, Horsfall I, Champion SM. Wounding patterns and human performance in knife attacks: optimising the protection provided by knife-resistant body armour. J Clin Forensic Med. December 2003;10(4):243-248.
2004	Davison AM. The incised wound. In: Rutty GN, ed. Essentials of Autopsy Practice: Recent Advances, Topics and Developments. London: Springer-Verlag; 2004:187-220.
2012	Tennick CJ. The Identification and Classification of Sharp Force Trauma on Bone Using Low Power Microscopy [PhD thesis]. Preston, UK: University of Central Lancashire; July 2012.
2005	Horsfall I, Watson C, Champion S, Prosser P, Ringrose T. The effect of knife handle shape on stabbing performance. Appl Ergon. July 2005;36(4):505-511.
2011	Carr DJ, Wainwright A. Variability of simulants used in recreating stab events. Forensic Sci Int. July 15, 2011;210(1-3):42-46.
2015	Cowper EJ, Carr DJ, Horsfall I, Fergusson SM. The effect of fabric and stabbing variables on severance appearance. Forensic Sci Int. April 2015;249:214-224.
2016	Humphrey C, Kumaratilake J, Henneberg M. A stab in the dark: design and construction of a novel device for conducting incised knife trauma investigations and its initial test. Forensic Sci Int. May 2016;262:276-281.
2017	Benson N, Dos Santos RO, Griffiths K, Cole N, Doble P, Roux C, Blanes L. The development of a stabbing machine for forensic textile damage analysis. Forensic Sci Int. April 2017;273:132-139.
2018	Norman DG, Watson DG, Burnett B, Fenne PM, Williams MA. The cutting edge: micro-CT for quantitative toolmark analysis of sharp force trauma to bone. Forensic Sci Int. February 2018;283:156-172.
2018	Komo L, Grassberger M. Experimental sharp force injuries to ribs: multimodal morphological and geometric morphometric analyses using micro-CT, macro photography and SEM. Forensic Sci Int. July 2018;288:189-200.
2020	Gaudet JR, Lievers WB, Fairgrieve SI. Development and commissioning of an instrumented pneumatic device to simulate blunt- and sharp-force trauma. Forensic Sci Int. February 2020;307:110123.
2020	Sloan K, Robertson J, Fergusson M, Spratford W. An evaluation of human stabbing performance to inform the standardisation of textile damage examinations: do simulation trials correlate to reported stabbings? Forensic Sci Int. July 2020;312:110305.
2018	Nolan G, Hainsworth SV, Rutty GN. Forces generated in stabbing attacks: an evaluation of the utility of the mild, moderate and severe scale. Int J Legal Med. January 2018;132(1):229-236.
2020	Bolliger SA, Wallace E, Dobay A, Knaute DF, Thali MJ, Barrera V. The cutting edge: an investigation into the pressure necessary for cutting skin with different knife blade types. Int J Legal Med. May 2020;134(3):1133-1140.
2017	Humphrey C, Kumaratilake J, Henneberg M. Characteristics of bone injuries resulting from knife wounds incised with different forces. J Forensic Sci. November 2017;62(6):1445-1451.
2022	Hogue M. Effects of Blade Angle on the Force and Work During Sharp Force Trauma of Porcine Ribs [Master's thesis]. Sudbury, ON: Laurentian University; 2022.
2014	Nolan G. Quantification of Forces Involved in Stabbings [PhD thesis]. University of Leicester; August 2014.
2012	Ní Annaidh A. The Mechanics of Stabbing: A Combined Experimental and Numerical Study of Sharp Force Injury [PhD thesis]. Dublin, Ireland: University College Dublin; July 2012.